Cardiovascular

Focused ultrasound has the potential to improve treatment of cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension, thrombosis and atrial fibrillation; clinical and basic research is ongoing.

For patients with drug-resistant hypertension, pilot clinical research has demonstrated the potential of focused ultrasound to non-invasively reduce hypertension by destroying the nerves that control blood pressure, located around the artery leading to the kidney.

Preclinical research has also shown that focused ultrasound can liquefy blood clots, either independently or in combination with bubbles and anti-clotting agents, possibly being used to restore blood flow to regions of the brain affected by stroke, or treating arterial or deep vein thrombosis.

For patients with cardiac arrhythmias, the technology may have the potential to block the electrical pathway from the atrium to the heart via thermal ablation, providing rate control management for patients with chronic atrial fibrillation and similar conditions.